Cutler retires, joins FOX
Jay Cutler has been on the market since the Bears released him in March, but he has found a new home: the broadcast booth. Like Tony Romo, Cutler is pursuing a career in television.
FOX Sports announced Friday that they have hired the 34-year-old to join Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis in the booth this season.
“I don’t know if retirement is the right word; I don’t feel that anyone ever really retires from the NFL. You are either forced to leave, or you lose the desire to do what’s required to keep going. I’m in between those situations at this point in my life,” Cutler said in a statement.
“Words can’t express how grateful I am to everyone who helped me along my journey … I recently read a quote that struck a chord with me at the time. It was attributed to Henry Rollins (but with the internet these days, you can never be too sure who really said it). ‘I did that, I gave everything I had to give to that. Now, if I returned to that it would be repetition — it might be fun repetition, but it wouldn’t be meaningful repetition.’ ”
The veteran quarterback had conversations with the Jets and Texans as potential landing spots, but nothing ever came of it. Age and durability were presumably the primary factors for the lack of interest in Cutler during the freeagency period.
His agent said previously that Cutler wasn’t considering retirement and planned to play this season.
Cutler was a first-round pick in 2006, spending time with both the Broncos and Bears. He has 208 touchdown passes in his career and owns a record of 68-71 in 139 career games.